Switch-governor.



A. M. BRUSS.

SWITCH GOVERNOR. APPLICATION FILED APR. 12, 1911. RENEWED NOV. 23. 1918.

1,301,222. Patented Apr. 22,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

MIT/V5555" A. M. BRUSS.

SWI TCH GOVERNOR. APPLICATION FILED APR- I917- RENEWED NOV. 23, I918. ,30 2, Patented Apr, 22,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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l/r/mssis mu z g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLF M. BRUSS, OF CENTRAL BUTTE, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA.

SWITCH-GOVERNOR.

Application filed April 12, 1917, Serial No. 161,486.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ADOLF M. BRUSS, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of the town of Central Butte, in the Province of Saskatchewan, in the Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch-Governors, of which the following is a full description.

This invention relates to improvements in switch governors for controlling the head, tail or other lights of automobiles and the objects of the invention are to prevent fluctuations so that a clear and steady light is always available no matter whether the engine is running light, idling or at high speed.

Further ob ects are to prevent the lamps from becoming burnt out, to permit of the device being readily attached to automobiles at present in use, to simplify the several parts and render the same easily accessible for inspection and generally to adapt them to better perform the desired functions.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists essentially of the improved construction particularly described and set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings forming part of the same.

In the drawings,

F i ure 1 is a front elevation of an automobi e engine with the improved switch governor operatively mounted thereon.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the switch governor with the cover of the casing removed and showing diagrammatically the wiring connections of the head lights.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the switch contacts.

4 is a vertical section of an alternative form of rack coacting with the curvilinear rack of theswitch arm.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

Referring to the drawings, A represents an automobile engine of any usual description with the improved switch governor B operatively mounted thereon and driven from the fan shaft 10 of the engine.

The switch governor B comprlses a casing Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

Renewed November 23, 1918. Serial No. 263,934.

11 mounted on the bracket 9 and provided with a transversely extending rotatable shaft 12, which carries at one end a belt or like pulley 13.

The shaft 12 is provided with a centrifugal governor 14, having one end rigidly attached to the collar 15, while the other end is connected to the collar 16 rigidly embracing the sleeve 17 slidably mounted on the shaft.

This sleeve is formed with a longitudinally extending slot 18 adapted to embrace the pin 19 carried by the shaft 12 and is further provided intermediate of its length with a radial flange 8 coacting with the collar 16, while a removable collar 20 is mounted on the end of the sleeve, remote from the slot.

Botatably mounted in the sleeve 17 is an eyelet 21 formed integral with and offset from the rack 22, which carries a second eyelet 25 rotatably mounted on the shaft 12.

It is desirable that this rack should always be maintained in the same plane of operation, and to this end I provide a slot 23 in the rack adapted to slidably engage with the pin 21 threaded in the plate 7, so that any tendency of lateral displacement or oscillation of the rack, due to the rotating of the governor, is eliminated.

The rack 22 meshes with the pinion 26, rotatably mounted on the pin 28 and formed with an integral switch arm 27,the point 30 t of which is designed to form a bridging member between the contacts 31 carried by the non-conducting plate 32 and the continuous contact plate or element 40.

The point 30 of the arm 27 is insulated by the member 29 from the curvilinear rack 26 thereby obviating any tendency of short circuiting in the electric circuit of which the said point forms a member.

Each contact 31 is connected to its adjacent contact through a resistance 34, the first contact being connected by the wire 35 to the post 36 mounted on the casing 11. and then through the wire 37 to the magneto 38, which is grounded through the wire 39.

This magneto, it will be understood, will be driven in the usual manner from the engine A so that any fluctuations of speed of the engine similarly affect the magneto.

The magneto driving mechanism is well known in the art and since it does not form the subject matter of this invention, it is not thought necessary to illustrate or describe the same.

The continuous contact plate or element 40 is arranged in parallel relation to the non.- conducting plate 32 by means of the stud 41, which carries springs 42 adapted to hold the contact plate 40 in intimate engagement with the point 30 of the arm 27 as it moves between the said plate and contacts, 31.

The contacting plate 40 is connected by the wire 44 with the post 45 mounted on the casing 11 and this post is connected by the wires 46 and 46 to the lamps 47, the return wires of which are grounded as shown at 48. Rotary motion is transmitted to the shaft 12 by the belt drive 49 connecting the pulleys 13 and 50 which are held in spaced relationthat it will readily permit of the frame being rotated downwardly to engage the belt 49 with the pulley 51 when it is desired to use the lights.

Referring to Fig. 4, 22 represents a rack which is provided with a bifurcated arm 21" designed to embrace a sleeve 17, between the flange 8 and the collar 20. This rack is formed on the back face with a air of parallel guides 54 designed'to slidahly embrace the guide 55 formed integral with the plate 7. The rack is held in position by the pin 24 which engages with the slot 23, the said pin being threaded into the plate 7*. I

The curvilinear rack 26 which meshes with the rack 22 is the facsimile of that already described, so that it is deemed unnecessary to further enlarge upon the same.

The assembly of the several parts will be readily understood from the foregoing description.

lVhen'an automobile equipped with this device is in use, rotary motion is transmitted from the fan pulley 51 to the belt 49, which in turn rotates the shaft 12 and actuates the governing mechanism B.

Any fluctuations of speed in the engine, which under ordinary circumstances, causes fluctuation in the head and other lights of the automobile, is controlled by the governor B.

On rotation of the shaft 12, the centrifugal governor 14 is rotated, and as the speed of the engine increases, the sleeve '17 is moved longitudinally on the shaft, thereby causing the rack 22 to rotate the curvilinear rack 26 and actuate the switch arm 27, thepoint 30 of which will be moved to engage with one of the contacts 31 and the continuone contact plate 40, introducing into the circuit the desired number of resistances 34 to maintain the lights at the desired intensity.

F or instance, when the engine is running slowly, the circuit controlling the head lights 47 consists of the magneto 38, wire 37, posts 36, wire 35, contact 31, point 30, of the arm 27,. contact plate 40, wire 44, post 45, wires '46 and 46 lamps 47 return wires to earth 48 and wire 39 back to the magneto completing the circuit and maintaining" the lamps 47 at the desired degree ofbrilliancy.

As the speed of the engine, however, increases, one or more resistances 34 are introduced into the above said circuit, and the lamps'47 are maintained burning at the same intensity.

It will thus be seen that as the fluctuations of the engines speed takes place, the number of resistances 34 introduced into the lighting circuit will be such as to prevent burning out of the lamps and also obviate any liability of fluctuations in the said lamps.

When the device is utilized with a rack 22 such as is shown in Fig. 4, it will be understood that by dispensing with the use of the arm 25 and by bifurcating the arm 21 there is little or no tendency of lateral displacement of the rack taking place due to the rotation of the shaft 12. It will also be appreciated that the use of the guides 54 and 55 prevent vertical displacement of the rack and there is no liability of sagging taking place, which may possibly take place with that type shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, due to excessive wear of the arms 21 and 25 contacting with the sleeve 17 and shaft 12 respectively.

The operation of the switch governor is similar to that already described when the rack 22 is used.

From this description it will be seen that I have invented a switch governor capable of being advantageously employed and mounted on automobiles at present in use with the advantage that the lighting installation is thoroughly controlled and there is no liability of the lights burning out or failing to properly perform the functions re-v quired of them.

As many changes could. be made in the above description and many apparently Widely different embodiments of my invention within the scope of the claim constructthe rheostat pivoted on said plate, and a substantially U-shaped member having one leg 15 engaging the shaft and the other leg secured to the sleeve, said member being slotted to engage said pin and provided at its base with teeth co-aoting with the toothed lever.

, In witness whereof I have hereunto set 20 my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

ADOLF M. BRUSS.

Witnesses HERMAN SCHWARTZ, O'rro Hm'rz. 

